§ 9. Mr. Lambieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received for the construction of an oil refinery at Hunterston ; what action he has taken on such proposals ; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI have before me two planning applications for the 1636 construction of an oil refinery on substantially the same areas of land at Hunterston. Consultations about these have still to be completed, and a report from the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee should reach me in the near future in connection with the nuclear power stations.
§ Mr. LambieIs not the Secretary of State's indecision against the best interests of the Scottish people? Is he aware that his failure to give a quick decision on the Chicago Bridge application to build an oil platform at Dunnet Bay has cost 700 jobs, and that his failure to give the go-ahead to the petro-chemical installation at Hunterston may cost North Ayrshire 4,000 jobs, at a time when British Rail has decided to lift the railway track between Dairy and Kilmarnock? Does not the Secretary of State's lack of decision on Hunterston suggest either that it is time he got out of the job or made a decision which would be of benefit to incoming industrialists who are looking for sites in the Irvine New Town area?
§ Mr. CampbellThe hon. Gentleman is incorrect in speaking about indecision. These applications have been put in as revisions. My major decision that there will be industrial development at Hunterston was taken a long time ago. I could not ignore the nuclear safety aspects to which I referred. The hon. Gentleman is completely misinformed about the position at Dunnet Bay. The company's decision was taken three months after planning permission had been granted, for, in its own words, "geophysical reasons." The company is reported as saying that the geophysical reasons meant that its first platform could be built a year earlier at the alternative site.
§ Mr. GalbraithWill my right hon. Friend tell me where the oil is coming from? Is it coming from the North Sea or from Arabia? Because of the shortage of Arabian oil it is presumably coming from the North Sea, in which case should not the development be at Grangemouth rather than in Ayrshire?
§ Mr. CampbellI presume that my hon. Friend is referring to the Hunterston applications. I hope that by the time a refinery is operating at Hunterston the 1637 oil will be coming from British waters as well as from abroad.
§ Mr. CampbellThese proposals in their revised form have been before me for some weeks. The right hon. Gentleman must have been following this matter, so he will know that there have been complications in finding a combination of industry to make the best use of this important but limited industrial site with its unique deep water facilities and to make the best contribution to the health of Scotland's economy.